Photos: School bus rear-ended by trash truck; students injured

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Four children and one adult were injured when a trash truck rear-ended a school bus in the area of 55th and Missouri avenues in Glendale Monday morning.

It happened at about 6:30 a.m. The bus was stopped, picking up kids when the Auerbach Waste trash truck hit, shoving the bus onto the curb and into a tree.

A witness said she heard the boom of the crash followed immediately by a woman's scream.

Aerial video from the scene showed paramedics treating a 9-year-old girl on a stretcher. It's believed that the impact pulled her under the bus. A medical helicopter was called to the scene to air-lift that girl to Phoenix Children's Hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

3TV's Javier Soto reported from the scene that three other students also were hurt.

One of those students suffered a severe gash on her leg and serious jaw injuries. That student was transported to a local hospital by ground ambulance.

Both of those girls who were seriously injured were boarding the bus. Their mother was there when it happened.

The other two kids were already on the bus; they suffered minor injuries. They also were taken to a local hospital as a precaution.

The driver of the bus was injured, as well.

Officers on the scene did not know what caused the trash truck to rear-end the stopped school bus. Because the driver was heading east, investigators believe he might have been blinded by the sun.

The crash is under investigation, but Glendale police said the driver of the trash truck will likely face a civil citation for failing to control his vehicle. Officers said that driver did not show any signs of impairment.

The bus belongs to Bennett Academy, which is located near 29th Avenue and Bethany Home Road. Bennett Academy is a charter school for kindergarten through eighth grades. According to the school's website, enrollment is limited to 200 students. Bennett Academy opened in 1995, making it one of the first charter schools in Arizona.